Bell swinging device



'2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 3, 1929 R401. Mung)? yw Hdqmey i- 1933. P.MULLER ,0

BELL SWINGING DEVICI Filed July 3. 1929 2 Shasta-Shoot 2 rangement.

Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES I BELL SWINGING' DEVICE Paul Muller,Neuf-Brisach, Haut-Rhin, France Application July 3, 1929, Serial No.375,844, and

in France July 11, 1928 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a device forcontrollling the swinging of bellsoperated by an electromotor. Over the devices known in this art, thepresent invention is characterized by its exceptional simplicity and itseasy, adjustable arrangement and suiting any size of hell.

In the accompanying drawings the invention has been illustrated by Wayof example:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device, showing its main operativeparts;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation and Fig. 3 illustrates the rear side lever.

Fig. 4 illustrates diagrammatically the bell with its driving andcontrolling means.

Fig. 5 represents the switch and circuit arof the contact The driving ofthe bell axle by means of an electro-motor M is operated in a well knownmanner, for instance, by means of a" pulling element such as a linkedGalls chain X (Fig; 4). The swinging movements of the bell axle arecommunicated to the shaft a of the device Y (Fig. 4) controlling theswings of the bell, which forms the object of the p re'sent application.In said device the shaft a driven by an endless belt from the motor Msupports the freely swivelling contact lever b, the upper end of whichconstitutes a fork-shaped head with con tact elements c adapted tocontact with fixed contacts arranged on the right and the left handside. The swinging movement of the leverb causes a reversal of poles inthe motor circuit by means of the contacts 0 engaging the fixedcontacts, and by this the direction of rotation of the electro-motor ischanged. The oscillation of the contact lever occurs each time when theswinging stroke of the bell Z has reached its maximum value. Y

When the device is not in operation, the lever b is in circuit closingposition because of the unsymmetrical distribution of weight of thelatter. This effect can be increased by a spring acting on the lever b.

Thel'ever b supports an electromagnet d, the armature e of whichoperates an axially sliding rod g arranged at the rear side of the leverb, the disposition being such that said rod is moved downwardly when thearmature e is attracted. By interrupting the current in theelectromagnet, a spring f brings the rod g back to its inoperativeposition. The magnet d is connected in the circuit of the driving motor.When the circuit is closed in the latter, the armature e is attractedand thereby the lower end 91 of the rod g engages ,inone of the notches2 provided at the periphery of a disc h and so the coupling of thecontact lever b with the disc it supported by the shaft (1 will beobtained. The disc h is loosely mounted and resiliently connected to theshaft a by means of a friction clutch formed of a sleeve '7' keyed onsaid shaft a and one or more spring operated brake shoes 7c acting onsaid sleeve. i i

For the purpose of securinga free swinging of the'lbell and obtaining auniform beatingof the striker and in view of maintaining the swing ofthe bell in predetermined limits,the arrangement has been made that, fora determined amplitude of the swing of the bell; the contact lever b isbrought in an intermediate inoperative position and remains out of itscontact position until the swingingwill be brought below its normalamplitude. r

' For this purpose, the device supports a pinion 5 m, to which isimparted a reciprocating rotary movement by means of a pinion n fixed onthe shaft az A disc p frictionally held against the pinion m under thepressure of a spring 0 and moving with same, supportstwo adjustablesegments qi and qz, which afford a groove 1'1 and r2, so shaped that thewidened ends of their guiding walls present a cam-shaped track. Thecontact lever b supports a roller 8, so arranged thatwhen overreaching adetermined swinging stroke, said roller will engage the segment m or(12. When the shaft a will rotate in the right hand direction (Fig. 1)and thereby the pinion 1n will rotate in an anti-clockwise direction,the widened edge of the inner guiding wall of the segment qi will liftthe rollers, whereas the widened edge simultaneously acts as an inclinedplane to bring the lever b from its right hand contact position in themedium upright position. During the immediately following rotation inthe left hand di- 95 rection, the lever b will be brought from its'lefthand contact position in the medium position, by means of the widenedend 0 of the outer guiding wall of the segment (12..

By the lifting of the lever b out of its contacts position in the rightor left hand side, the working periods of the driving electro-motorbecome limited to a constant dimension of the swing of the bell and thebell can swing freely in both directions. The segments qi and nregulating the swinging stroke, and the abutments t1 and t2 which limitthe stroke of the roller 3, are adjustably arranged with respect to thesize of the bells.

The working of the device using a three-phase 10 j on which will engageat a given moment one of the notches-210i disc h. The disc h rotateswith the shaft a of the motor, to which it is frictionally connected bythe sleeve'j and the brake shoes is.

So the lever 22' is directly coupled with the shaft 0, of the motorand'remains coupled therewith'a's long as the circuit will not beinterrupted in the switch A. The lever b will have an oscillatingmovement between the fixed contacts, and oper ate at each abutment withsaid fixed contacts the reversion of rotation of the motor. When thecircuit is interrupted by means of the switch A, the action of theelectromagnet d is released and the lever b is disengaged from the disch and drops freely on one or the other of the fixed contacts. p a

2. When the swinging motion of the bell reaches a certain amplitude, itbecomes necessary to suppress the propulsive action of the motor. Forthis purpose, the segments (11 and q2 have been provided in thearrangement as described herebefore. It is obvious that, when theswinging motion of the bell will be of importance, the rotation'of thepinion m will also be considerable. Said rotation is continuouslyreversed in direction, as obviously understood "from the foregoingdescription. When the roller -s will be engaged in one or the other ofthe segments qi and qz which-are arranged to lift and maintain the leverin the medium position, the motor will be no longersup plied withcurrent and the bell itself, by its swinging motion, will make the motorrotateas a generator.

The frictional coupling .9, It allows the rotation of shaft a, withoutsaid rotation having influence onleve'r'b. As soon as the amplitude ofthejsw'ing of the bell is suiiiciently decreased, the pinion "msupporting the segments qi and (12 will have a small angulardisplacement from its normal rest position,so that the lever b willagain be allowed to {abut on the fixed contacts before the 'roller swillbe engaged by the segments (11 or' qz upon increased amplitude of swingof the bell in the op-' greater than that wanted to maintain the lever'b in the medium position.

By the fact that following the size 'of'the bell producing the movementof the pinion m, the

stroke limit of the segments wand (12 is variable, the abutments hand inare made adjustable, for allowing adjustment of the apparatus.

I claim:

1. In a bell ringing device comprising a motor,

a bell adapted to be oscillated by said motor, a shaft, mechanicalmeans-connecting the bell and the shaft for oscillating. the latter, anelectric circuit for. the motor and a fixedco'ntact in said circuit, thecombination of a freely swivelling' contact lever, a contact supportedby said lever and arranged to engage the fixed contact of the motorcircuit, means to maintain the contact lever in circuit closing positionwhen the circuit of the motor is interrupted, an electromagnet supportedby the contact lever and connected in the circuit of the motor, a discfrictionally clutched on the shaft and having peripheral notches, asliding rod supported by the contact lever and operated by the armatureof the magnet to engage with its end. one of said notches, a returnspring for the rod, a pinion keyed on the shaft, a second pinion'meshingwith the aforesaid pinion, a disc frictionally held against said secondpinion, an adjustable segment upon said disc having a groove Withcam-shaped widened guiding walls facing the contact lever,'an adjustableabutment insaid groove, anda roller supported by the contact leveradapted to engage the groove'of said segmentfwhen the swing of thebellin one direction exceeds a predetermined amount, substantially asdescribed and for the :purpose set forth.-

shaft, mechanical means connecting the bell and the shaft foroscillating the. latter, anelectri'c circuit for the motor and two fixedcontacts in said circuit, the combination of a freely swivelling contactlever supported by said shaft, a pair of contacts supported by saidlever and arranged to engage the fixed contacts of the motor circuit,means to maintain thebontact lever in circuit closing position whenthecircuit of the motor.

is interrupted, an electromagnet supported by the contact lever andconnected in the circuit of the motor, adisc frictionally clutched onthe shaft and 'h'avingl peripheral notches, a sliding rod sup-- portedby the contact lever and operated by the armature of the magnet toengage with its end :12

PAUL ULLER.

